Breast-collar.



119 MODEL.

PATE'NTED FEB. 24, 1903. G. E. PRATT. I

I BREAST COLLAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1902.

.mmlunum I l, v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. PRATT, OF WINFIELD, IOWVA.

BREAST-COLLAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,388, dated February 24, 1903.

Application filed July 15,1902. Serial No.115,'739. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. PRATT, of Winfield, in the county of Henry and State of Iowa,- have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Breast-Collars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to harness, and par-' ticularly to the construction of breast-collars used in double harness; and its object is to provide a light, strong, and durable breastcollar of pleasing appearance which will comfortably fit the horse wearing the same and be free from projections or uneven parts to rub and chafe the animal.

To this end the invention includes the combination of parts and details of construction,

as will be hereinafter described, and particu larly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, like reference characters refer to like parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the complete breast-collar. Fig; 2 is a front elevation of the center guide lug. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the same, showing the section thereof separated. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of said lug. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the loops associated with the shortbrace-straps, and Fig. 6 is a detail view of the loop for the spreadstrap.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings the breast-strap is indicated by the letter a. This part a, which presents a perfectly flat smooth inner face, has a guide-lug 1) arranged centrally of the same, which comprises an upper guide-opening at, extending the full length thereof and dished or curved to conform to the general curve of the lower neck-strap b, which is guided therein, a contrallyarranged forwardly projecting horizontal loop 0, which is designed to receive the yoke-strap d, and an under guide or seat which retains a loop 6, designed to receive the martingale-strap f. The center guide-lug I), referred to, is preferably constructed of two sectionsa back section'g, which includes a body portion or back plate of substantially the full width of the breast-strap, having a perfectly flat rear face to rest against the front face of said strap, centrally-arranged laterally-extending side lugs g, provided with suitable openings, an overhanging part 9 forming a curved guide for the lower neckstrap 12, said part having an internally-beveled interlocking edge with laterally-extending interlocking shoulders g and an up turned lower hook-shaped portion having a beveled edge, said hook-shaped portion g providing a channel or seat to receive a loop 9 which depends therefrom and extends be low the lower edge of the breast-strap and is designed to receive the martingale-strap. The front section of the lug b comprises a horizontallydisposed forwardly extending loop a for the reception of the yoke-strap, laterally-extending ears corresponding to the lugs g and having corresponding alining openings, a body plate having an upper edge which forms part of the guide for the lower neck-strap, and is provided with an inclined upper front face and shoulders e said inclined portion fitting beneath the overhang-' ing edge 9 said shoulders e interlocking with the shoulders 9 the lower portion of said body having an inwardly-inclined edge e to overlap and fit against the edge 9 of the back section and ears 6 to overlie the side edges of the upturned part of said back section. In attaching this central lug to the breast-strap the fiat rear face of thesection g is placed against the front face of the breaststrap and secured thereto by a binding strap or strip 1', which passes over the front face of the intermediate part or body portion of said section g and is securely stitched to the breaststrap on each side thereof. Before the strap 11 is placed in position the loop 6 is seated in the channel formed by the upturned portion of the section g, and the lower edge of said strap '11 when in position liesdirectly over the mouth of said channel and in close proximity to the same, and thereby serves to lock the loop 2 in place. The back section g having been secured in position, the lower neck-strap b is passed under the overhanging edge 9 and pressed up into the guide opening a provided therefor. The front section is then placed in position by passing the upper inoverhanging edge g and pressing said secclined edge of the body thereof beneath the tions upwardly until the shoulders thereof interlock with the shoulders The front section then snaps into place, the lower inclined edge of the same overlapping the edge g of the rear section. Rivets are then passed through the alining openings in the lugs g and the corresponding ears extending laterally from the body of the front section, said rivets piercing the interposed strap '11 and being headed up upon the inner face of the breast-strap. It will be noted that this construction of lug presents an ornamental appearance, is provided with a smooth even exterior, and that the arrangement of the inclined and interlocking parts of the two sections serves to transmit any strain upon the loop 0 directly to the rear section and consequently the strain of the yoke'strap falls upon the binding-strap i rather than upon the rivets, it being understood that the pull of the yoke-strap is downwardly and outwardly.

The lower neck-strap, which is preferably round in cross-section, has its intermediate part guided through the opening a, while its ends are secured to the short brace-straps m and to the upper neckstrap n by novel connecting members. Each of said connecting members 0 comprises a flat metallic plate having a pair of slots 0 extending at an angle to each other, the bars forming the outer walls of which are engaged by the loop at the end of the brace-strap an associated therewith, and the loop at one end of the lower neckstrap, respectively, and a curved bar 0 forming integral continuations of the end walls of said slot. The latter bar of each member 0 has the loop of a billet r secured thereto, the free end of the latter being buckled to one end of the upper neck-strap n.

The lower end of each short brace-strap m is secured to the breast-strap by a novel connection which is strong and neat and which avoids undue rubbing of the end of said bracestrap against the breast-strap and the consequent wearing of the parts incident thereto. This connection comprises a metallic member 8, having a flat rear side to rest against the face of the breast-strap, said member being located intermediate of the width of the latter and a distance below the upper edge thereof, an offset cross-bar s to engage the loop at the lower end of the short brace-strap m, and a channel-face 3 which receives a bindingstrap 15, the latter being sewed to the breaststrap and serving to retain the member 8 securely in position. As will be appreciated, by offsetting the cross-bar s the. loop at the end of the strap on is given plenty of play and the rubbing thereof against the breast-strap avoided.

The upper neck strap has the ordinary spread-strap a and a rein-turret o secured thereto, the connection between the former and the neck-strap being effected by a novel construction of metallic loop u, which includes a cross-bar a and leg members adapted to be passed through the neck strap and headed up upon the under side thereof, said face of said neck-strap.

The construction and operation of my breast-collar will be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, and it will be under stood that the parts may be altered or modifled within a wide range without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1. In a breast-collar and in combination, a breast-strap, an upper neck-strap, a lower neck-strap connected thereto, brace-- straps connecting the ends of said collar-straps to said breast-strap, a yoke-strap, a martingalestrap, and means for connecting said yokestrap, martingale-strap and lower neck-strap to the breast-strap, comprising a lug secured to the breast -strap having a longitudinal guide-opening for the neck-strap, a laterallyprojecting loop to receive the yoke-strap, and a depending loop to receive the martingalestrap, substantially as described.

2. In a breast-collar and in combination, a breast-strap, an upper neck-strap, a lower neck-strap connected thereto, brace-straps connecting the ends of said collar-straps to said breast-strap, a yoke-strap, a martingalestrap, and means for connecting said yokestrap, martingale-strap and lower neck-strap to the breast-strap, comprising a lug having a horizontally-disposed rigid loop for the yoke-strap, a vertically-disposed pivoted loop for the martingale-strap, and a curved guideopening extending from side to side of the lug for the lower neck-strap, substantially as described.

3. In a breast-collar and in combination, a breaststrap, an upper neck-strap, a lower neck-strap connected thereto, brace-straps connecting the ends of said collar-straps to said breast-strap, a yoke-strap, a martingalestrap, and means for connecting said yokestrap, martingale-strap and lower neck-strap to the breast-strap, comprising a lug having a back section carrying guides for the lower neck-strap and the martingale-strap, and a front separable section carrying a guide for the yoke-strap, substantially as described.

4. In a breastcollar and in combination, a breast-strap, an upper neck-strap, a lower neck-strap connected thereto, brace-straps connecting the ends of said collar-straps to said breast-strap, a yoke-strap, a martingalestrap, and means for connecting said yokestrap, martingale-strap and lower neck-strap to the breast-strap, comprising a sectional lug, one section thereof having an overhanging upper portion providing a guide for the lower neck-strap, an upturned lower edge providing a seat for the martingale-loop, and a front section having a loop for the yokestrap, substantially as described.

5. In a breast-collar and in combination, a breast-strap, an upper neck-strap, a lower neck-strap connected thereto, brace-straps connecting the ends of said collar-straps to said breast-strap, a yoke-strap, a martingalestrap, and means for connecting said yokestrap, martingale-strap and lower neck-strap to the breast-strap,con1prising a sectional lug, one section thereof having an overhang ing upper portion providing a guide for the neck-strap, the inner face of said overhanging portion being beveled, laterally-extending shoulders formed on said portion, an upturned lower part having a beveled edge, a loop seated therein, a binding-strap passing over the face of the body portion of said sectionv and sewed to the breast-strap on each side thereof, and a front section carrying a loop for the yoke-strap having inclined parts coacting with the inclined parts of the firstnamed section and shoulders interfitting the shoulders formed on the overhanging portion of said first-named section, substantially as described.

6. In a breast-collar and in combination, a breast-strap, an upper neck-strap, a lower neck-strap connected thereto, brace-straps connecting the ends of said collar-straps to said breast-strap, a yoke-strap, a martingalestrap, and means for connecting said yokestrap, martingale-strap and lower neck-strap to the breast-strap, comprising a sectional lug, the back section thereof havingan over- Y strap, a front section carryinga loop for the yoke-strap having parts coacting with the inclined portions and the shoulders on the back section, and having laterally-extending ears provided with openings and rivets passing through the opening in said ears, lugs the binding-strap and the breast-strap, and headed up upon the inner face of said breaststrap, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I vhave hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, at Winfield, in the county of Henry, in'the State of Iowa, this 7th day of July, 1902.

G. E. PRATT. Witnesses:

W. B. RIDGEWAY, J. M. LINDLY. 

